If you are looking for a special book or autograph, let me help you
find it. Montagnana Books has the most extensive collection of violin and
string instrument books and autographs available.

We have books about Stradivari and Guarneri, violinmaking,
violinmakers, violinists, violists, and cellists, and rare and collectible
books by Hill, Doring, Roda, and others. We also have autographs by the greatest virtuosos of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Fantastic New Book Now Available

Wilder, Tom, ed. THE CONSERVATION, RESTORATION, AND REPAIR OF STRINGED INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR BOWS. Three volume collection of 150 articles. Includes a CD-ROM providing editable forms and measurement diagrams for documentation. 1600 pages. 1300 illustrations. (8 1/2 x 11 inches, cloth bound with dust jackets).
$1,477.00 (including shipping to North America and European Union)
$1,495.00 (including shipping to all other parts of the world)

Strings Magazine Almost Complete Run Now Available!

Strings Magazine. 1986-2011. Virtually complete run, missing 3 issues.
195 issues of this fascinating and important magazine dedicated to the string player. A very long, almost complete run, from the Premier issue, Spring, 1986, through issue no. 198, October, 2011. Missing issues: no. 174 (October, 2009); no. 186 (October, 2010); and no. 195 (July, 2011). Issues 186 and 195 are available now directly from Strings Magazine, for $5.99 each.
The price for the run is $750. Shipping to the U.S. will be by six priority mail C boxes, for an approximate total of $270. International shipping figures by request, but will probably be at least $600 or $700.
Sold!

OISTRAKH, David. Autograph Letter Signed. 1972.http://www.montagnanabooks.com/Oistrakhsp1972.jpgThe great Russian violinist (1908-1974) writes in Russian to a friend, “we are almost one month in this trip, but soon it’s time to return home... I work a lot, as you work at the hospital. Did you have a vacation?”. Signed “Oistrakh”. With translation. (on a postcard, creased) $200.00

The great American violinist (1888-1953) was a student of Chitiand Buitrago before entering the Bologna Conservatory at the age of 14. He later studied with Lefort. He made his American debut in 1908, and gave the US premiers of the violin concertos of Dohnany, Elgar and Barber. His own works include an orchestra suite, 2 violin concertos, a string quartet, a violin sonata, etc. He has drawn a staff on a card and written two bars of music, and has signed “Albert Spalding” followed by the date.(the card is 5 x 3 inches, matted and framed with a portrait to 15 x 19 inches) $125.00

Hamma, Walter. VIOLIN-MAKERS OF THE GERMAN SCHOOL FROM THE 17TH TO THE 19TH CENTURY. Tutzing: Schneider, 1992. Two Volumes. In English, German and French. THE DELUXE EDITION.Volume I: xvi, 519 pp., Volume II: viii, 591 pp., 390 instruments illustrated with different views on full-page plates. A great new addition to the family of Hamma books, and a valuable new reference about German makers. Beautifully bound in leather. Edition limited to 100 copies. Very scarce. $1200.00 Sold!

Beare, Charles. ANTONIO STRADIVARI. The Cremona Exhibition of 1987. London, 1993. The Deluxe Edition. 328 pp., more than 225 pages of color illustrations of instruments, illustrating 44 instruments and 2 bows, including the Tullaye, Mahler, Hellier, Tuscan, Medici, Baron Knoop, Soil, Batta, Lady Blunt, Sarasate, Habeneck and Muntz. An unbelievable collection of Stradivari’s instruments in probably the finest color photos of instruments ever printed. A sensational book, in a slipcase! No. 262 of the edition limited to only 300 copies. The deluxe edition was sold out by subscription, about 2 years before the book was actually published, and is extremely scarce. $2100.00

van der Straeten, Edmund. THE HISTORY OF THE VIOLONCELLO, the Viol da Gamba, their Precursors and Collateral Instruments, with Biographies of all the Most Eminent Players of Every Country. London: William Reeves, 1971. xvii, 700 pp., portrait, 59 plates, 63 illustrations in the text. (5 1/2 x 8 3/4 inches, very good condition, no dust jacket) Now quite scarce. $175.00

Sale Items Now Available:(No additional discounts apply)

The following books are from the Winter 2014 Sale of Books. Click on the link above to see all of the books on special sale. Books are discounted 50% plus an additional 5% for purchases of $1000 or more

Möckel, Otto. DIE KUNST DES GEIGENBAUES. Berlin, 1930. 389 pp., 128 diagrams, 71 plates of illustrations. In German. (8 x 11 inches, bound in 3/4 leather and boards, leather a bit rubbed) Great illustrations that show many of the steps involved in violin-making. Very scarce edition, signed by the author. 50% off $450.00

Additional Sale Items

MILSTEIN, Nathan. Signed Photo. 1937. http://www.montagnanabooks.com/Milstein1937signedphoto.jpgThe great Russian-American violinist (1904-1992), was a student of Stoliarsky and Auer. He played with Horowitz and Piatigorsky in sonatas and trios. He had one of the longest, most distinguished careers of any violinist, and is considered by many to be in a class with Heifetz. He is shown in a head and shoulders portrati. Inscribed and signed “N. Milstein” followed by the date. (8 x 10 inches, some minor wear and creases) $400.00 (reduced from $650.00)

MILSTEIN, Nathan. Signed Photo. 1937. http://www.montagnanabooks.com/Milsteinsignedphoto1937.jpgThe great Russian-American violinist (1904-1992), was a student of Stoliarsky and Auer. He played with Horowitz and Piatigorsky in sonatas and trios. He had one of the longest, most distinguished careers of any violinist, and is considered by many to be in a class with Heifetz. An interesting head and shoulders portrait, he is shown looking down. Inscribed and signed "N. Milstein" with the place and date. (8 x 10 inches, image is a bit fuzzy) $300.00 (reduced from $600.00)

FAMOUS INSTRUMENTS OF THE WORLD SERIES. Tokyo: Gakken, 1986.Three volumes, 10 x 14 1/4 inches, gilt-stamped titles, each volume in a slip-case with similar gilt-stamped titles.
Collection in the Library of Congress: 80 pp. of photographs in color, 48 pp. of explanatory text and illustrations. 8 instruments illustrated.
Collection in the Smithsonian Institution: 132 pp. of photographs in color, 32 pp. of explanatory text and illustrations, 15 instruments illustrated.
Collection in the Corcoran Gallery of Art: 88 pp. of photographs in color, 32 pp. of explanatory text and illustrations, 8 instruments illustrated.
Beautiful full-page photographs by Shinichi Yokoyama, who did the photographs for the book Stradivari in Japan. In English and Japanese. A beautiful set of books. $1800.00 (reduced from $2200.00)

Hamma, Fridolin. MEISTERWERKE ITALIENISCHER GEIGENBAUKUNST. Ihre Beschreibung und Bisher Erzielte Preise. Stuttgart, n.d. (c. 1932) In German.xiii, 347 pp., 212 plates of instruments, each with two views, 9 full-scale outlines. (general condition very good to near-fine, some minor wear, one of the perforated outlines is loose, in the original dust jacket, which is nearly unheard of, d.j. torn at spine, small pieces of tape on inside of covers had been used to hold the dust jacket in place) A beautiful and very rare book, with wonderful plates, the edition limited to 1200 copies, this one unnumbered. Never reprinted because the plates were destroyed during World War II. Instruments illustrated include violins of Amati, Balestrieri, Bergonzi, da Salo, Carcassi, Gagliano, Grancino, Gobetti, Goffriller, Guadagnini, all the Guarneris, Landolfi, Maggini, Stradivari (35 examples!), etc., etc. Very scarce. $1200.00

Hamma, Fridolin. DIE D'EGVILLE–DEL GESÜ. Stuttgart, 1961.55 pp., 8 illustrations (one in color). (5 7/8 x 10 inches, covers a bit dirty) A beautiful monograph about this great violin. No. 351 of the edition limited to only 500 copies. A copy sold for £385, about $675 at the Christieπs auction of June, 1990. Very scarce. $275.00

Hamma, Fridolin. GERMAN VIOLIN MAKERS. A Critical Dictionary of German Violin Makers, with a Series of Plates Illustrating Characteristic and Fine Examples of their Work. London: William Reeves, 1961. The Deluxe Edition.xi, 49 pp. of text, 80 plates of instruments, each with 2 views of the instrument, plus the scroll and label. (top edge gilt, bound in 3/4 leather and blue cloth, very sl. wear to covers, in general, contents fine to very fine) No. 8 of the edition limited to 100 copies. Very scarce. $1000.00 Sold!

Herrmann, Emil. HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF TWO MASTERPIECES BY ANTONIUS STRADIVARIUS Known as the “King Maximilian” from the Year 1709 and the “Prinz Khevenhüller” from the Year 1733. In the Possession of Emil Herrmann. Privately printed in Berlin and New York, n.d. (1929?)33 pp, 6 color plates of views of the two instruments, plus 4 other illustrations, including one label. (the leather edges and spine a bit rubbed, top edge of pages have sl. crease, o/w contents near fine to fine) A very rare monograph of these two spectacular violins, no. 107 of the English edition limited to 200 copies. Sold in London in 1991 for $1000. $200.00

Hill and Sons. ANTONIO STRADIVARI. His Life and Work. (1644-1737). London, 1902. THE DELUXE EDITION.xvi, 303 pp., 31 plates of instruments and labels, 21 of which are in color, 68 illustrations. Bound in full green morocco, covers decorated in gilt. (covers and spine quite worn, several pages partially detached and sl. torn, in general contents and plates very good to near-fine) No. 2 of the edition limited to 100 copies. In a slipcase. Extremely scarce! In fine condition the book would be about $4000. $800.00 Sold!

Jacquot, Albert. LA LUTHERIE LORRAINE ET FRANCAISE. Paris, 1912.xxxix, 357 pp., 24 portraits, 521 facsimeles of labels, 64 illustrations in text, 40 illustrations. (3/4 leather and marbled boards, rebacked, original marbled endpapers) Edition limited to 500 copies. Regazzi says, “A very important text written by a violin maker who spent much of his time researching the history of the French luthiers. This book contains 521 label-facsimiles unpublished before.” A spectacular and very scarce book. $1500.00